Chinua Achebe 's Things Fall Apart

Women in the Igbo society are not as respected as men and they are treated badly. In order for the men to prove their power, and look manlier they tend to mistreat their women by beating them. In the novel Okonkwo beats his wife. However, he beats her at a time where he was not allowed to because it was the week of Peace; moreover, he did not care and kept beating her just because she did not cook, and instead went to do her hair. “He walked back to his obi to await Ojiugo’s return. And when she returned he beat her heavily. In his anger he had forgotten that it was the Week of Peace. His first two wives ran out in great alarm pleading with him that it was the sacred week. But Okonkwo was not the man to stop beating somebody half-way through,

Firstly, Okonkwo’s fear of being akin to his father plays a major role in characterising Okonkwo. This fear, in particular, is one of the earliest, in-depth portrayals of what motivates Okonkwo’s hard working nature and determination. Okonkwo’s distaste for his father, or men akin to his father, is first revealed in the characterisation of his father, Unoka. The quote: “He had no patience for unsuccessful men. He had no patience for his father” (ch1, pg3) shows the comparison of Okonkwo’s father to an unsuccessful man. This comparison allows the reader to infer that the Unoka held traits, such as inertia, and idleness, which made him unproductive. This is built upon further with the quote: “Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness... It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father… And so Okonkwo was ruled by one passion – to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved. One of those things was gentleness and another was idleness.” (Ch2, pg 12). This use of direct characterisation to portray Okonkwo’s father reveals what Okonkwo is afraid of becoming by describing the attitudes displayed by Unoka that Okonkwo, therefore, avidly tries to avoid. This allows the reader to infer a reason for

First off, Okonkwo is the son of cowardly and lazy Unoka. At an early age, Okonkwo grows a remorseful shame towards his father. As Okonkwo grows up, he aims to be nothing like his father because of what he put Okonkwo through. He strives to be productive, wealthy, brave, violent, and anything that he considered “soft”. Once Okonkwo escapes the embarrassment of his father, he is able to become a successful farmer and an excellent wrestler.

When we think about a European colonialist world view it is often based on judging a society by two major assumptions. These assumptions are the idea that other societies are filled with violent people without manners, and that their religious practices are a hedonistic affront to their own religion. These assumptions make it easy for European Colonialists to somewhat invade a land, and try to take it over. This practice of invading a foreign country is made even easier by the way European Colonialists dehumanize the native population and convince themselves that they are helping. Chinua Achebe’s book Things Fall Apart attempts to correct these misguided views of African societies by portraying a more complex culture that values peace, and the art of conversation. Achebe also tries to portray the idea that not all European people they come in contact with are aggressive, and misconstrued in their view of the African societies. Achebe tries to show us the value of his society through repeated views into conversations, religious practices, and encounters between people.Ultimately Achebe tries to show us that Africa’s complex cultures deserve more credit than taking up a chapter or two in a European colonialist’s book. This attempt at showing Africa as a complex group of diverse cultures goes directly against everything that European colonizers are working for because it humanizes a society they want to dehumanize.

Ikemefuna: Ikemefuna was a lad given to Okonkwo due to the murder that occurred to Umuofia's daughter in a market. Ikemefuna stays in Okonkwo’s household and starts calling him his father. Ikemefuna also becomes best friends with Nwoye. Later in chapter 8, Ikemefuna is told that he is going home but ends up being murdered for no reason.

In Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, the characters Ikemefuna and Obierika are used as “foil characters,” and reveal pertinent traits of Okonkwo’s true nature. The traits of Ikemefuna and Obierika contrast the traits Okonkwo, and allow the reader greater insight into Okonkwo’s fear of emasculation and his trepidation for the transformation of Igbo culture. Both Obierika and Ikemefuna accentuate the abhorrence Okonkwo has for becoming epicene and opprobrious like his father. Obierika also is skeptical of the Igbo culture in that he questions aspects of Igbo traditions and rituals, for he feels a certain degree of change may benefit their society. Furthermore, Ikemefuna’s character also reveals not only Okonkwo’s fear of emasculation, but

Okonkwo murders his adopted son Ikemefuna whom Nwoye develop’s an emotional attachment with. This brought Nwoye pure agony “a vague chill descended on him … this feeling, when his father walked in, that night after killing Ikemefuna”. (62) Okonkwo and Nwoye are juxtaposed against each other in the sense that Nwoye appreciated the values of love and loyalty that Ikemefuna brought however Okonkwo kills him without any consideration. Nwoye's developed feelings of resentment towards his father are illustrated in the novel when he opposes his fathers wishes and converts to Christianity. Nwoye longs for a life where twins don't get thrown into evil forest’s and adopted brothers aren't killed.

Okonkwo, the son of lazy Unoka, hungers to get his way in the world and

In the 19th century, the Europeans started colonizing Africa without African consent. In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, a nigerian writer who grew up with both the Igbo and European culture, the story follows Okonkwo, a strong willed protagonist, and how his relationships and surroundings change with the entering Europeans. In the story, Okonkwo had fallen apart along with the Igbo culture. In the beginning of the story, Okonkwo shows no emotions other than anger, because he does not want to become womanly, similar to his father.

At the conclusion of Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart it states how profound changes lead to the demise of Umuofia’s great warrior. “ Then they came to the tree from which Okonkwo’s body was dangling, and they stopped dead.”

In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, rising modern ideals challenge the traditional values in Ibo culture. These confronting principles influence changes formed through chaos and disarray. While some Ibo people are more welcoming to the newer concepts, Okonkwo, a strong warrior, famous wrestler and well known leader in the Umuofia clan stays true to his traditional ways. The devout man assures himself to not stray from the traditional path due to haunting memories of his lazy father Unoka. At a young age Okonkwo concluded to vigorously work on not become his disgraceful father. In the end, Okonkwo’s life becomes dictated by his conscious will to oppose to his father, contributing to several problems with his family, friends and

For centuries, women have been and continue to be the quiet leaders and the backbone of our society. Although they are often times not in high positions of power they are powerful, and vital for society to function. In Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, it is clear that women are viewed as the weaker sex. Throughout the novel, women are treated as property, shown as weak, and are ruled by men. Okonkwo's greatest fears are failure and weakness. When he was a child he learned that, "… agbala was not only another name for woman, it could also mean a man who had taken no title" (Achebe, p.13). Although they are viewed as weak and powerless, when Okonkwo returns to his motherland, Uchendu explains to him that, "… when there is sorrow and bitterness

Okonkwo is a respected leader of the Igbo tribe. He works hard and does not like to show emotion other than anger because his father, Unoka, was very lazy and not reputable. There is a dispute with another village where a woman is accidently killed, and Umuofia demands a virgin and a young man in place of a war. Okonkwo brings back Ikemefuna and takes him into his home under instructions from the village. The boy becomes like a son to him, but when it is time, Okonkwo kills him for fear of being seen as weak. Later, Okonkwo accidentally kills a young boy at a funeral, but he is exiled for seven years. While he is away in Mbanta, the Europeans arrive at Umuofia and begin to convert the Igbo people to Christianity. Just as Okonkwo returns to his village,

In continuation of the construction of Okonkwo, he is the epitome of the culture’s idea of success in sharp contrast to his father, Unoka. Unoka plays a paramount role in the novel by juxtaposing Okonkwo’s character completely. He is “a loafer” and “poor and his wife and children rarely had enough to eat” (5). In addition he “piled up his debts” (5), and when he died he “had no title at all” (8) and did not give his son a “barn to inherit” (16). The exhibition of these characteristics of Unoka represents

In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, he uses language to elaborate the African cultures and traditions before European colonization occurred. Chinua Achebe was born and raised in a village of Nigeria. Therefore, he has a high understanding of the African culture. This novel takes place around the 19th century in Nigeria. During this time, it was a male-dominated society, women were excluded and marginalized. Men were seen as the superior gender. They were illustrated to be strong and powerful. Women on the other hand were seen as useless, but without them, the Ibo society would fall apart.